Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
Giants Position Unit Power Rankings Post Draft
Giants general manager Dave Gettleman put a lot of work into improving a Giants roster that in the last two seasons has finished with just nine wins.
Where do the various units stand in terms of strength? Let's break it all down, starting with the strongest to the weakest.
1. Defensive Line
Except for adding Austin Johnson, a player once coached by new defensive line coach Sean Spencer at Penn State, the Giants didn't touch this group.
They didn't need to. Projected starters Dexter Lawrence II, Leonard Williams, and Dalvin Tomlinson were solid against the run last year and are going to be vital toward unlocking a pass rush in defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's scheme.
2. Special Teams
Although the Giants don't yet know the identity of their return specialists, there is still a lot to like about the job special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey has done since he was brought on board to orchestrate this unit.
With Joe Judge, himself a former special teams coordinator, likely to infuse some ideas into the Giants' schemes, there is no reason to think the Giants special teams unit won't be able to pick up where it left off last year.
3. Running Backs
There is no doubt that the Giants running backs group is a team strength--how could it not be with the versatile Saquon Barkley leading the way and the addition of veteran Dion Lewis, a solid third-down back?
And of course, let's not forget Wayne Gallman, whom the coaches last year did forget but who can still be a good complementary piece in this offense.
With that said, I have the running backs third for the reason that I don't believe we have seen just how lethal this group can be.
Let's hope we see more of Saquon Barkley in space where during practices open to the media, he made linebackers look silly, and the offense looked so promising when he was split out wide or in the slot.
4. Tight Ends
Although we don't know what new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is planning to run, if we look at what the Cowboys did during Garrett's tenure as head coach and before that offensive coordinator, we'll probably see a heavy use of multiple tight end packages.
The Giants have themselves three solid tight ends with different skill sets, starting with Evan Engram, the super talented tight end whose only vice so far has been his inability to stay on the field.
However, I've long wondered if the previous coaching staffs have optimized the use of Engram or if the roles he's been asked to play have led to some of his durability issues. It will be interesting to see how, if at all, Garrett plans to deploy Engram in his version of the offense.
Levine Toilolo was brought in to replace the retired Rhett Ellison as the blocking tight end. In comparing the Giants and 49ers tight ends, Toilolo was PFF's third-best ranked run-blocking tight end, behind George Kittle and Ellison.
And Kaden Smith, whom the Giants got off waivers from the 49ers last season, proved to be a nice surprise. Smith had the best reception rate (75.6) among Giants tight ends and receivers who were targeted at least 40 times last year.
5. Wide Receiver
After initially being surprised the Giants didn't add a receiver from the historically deep class, their top three receivers, Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton are more than solid as a trio.
For all the criticism that some threw at general manager Dave Gettleman for signing Tate to a free-agent contract last offseason, Tate delivered in that despite missing four games due to a suspension, Tate still managed to lead the Giants receivers in yards after the catch.
Slayton proved to be a pleasant surprise for a fifth-round pick, finishing as the Giants team leader with eight touchdowns scored. Once Slayton cleans up some of the minor flaws in his game, such as misreads and drops, he's going to be even better than he was as a rookie.
Shepard is still a solid receiver, but the big concern about him--and the reason why I thought the Giants might look to draft another receiver--is his concussion history.
Shepard missed six games after twice dealing with concussions suffered within four weeks of each other, and while the hope is he has put that behind him, one can't help but wonder what the future might hold should he suffer another head injury.
It will be interesting to see if Corey Coleman, who looked so promising last year before a torn ACL put him on the shelf, can emerge as a fourth receiving option in this otherwise solid group.
6. Quarterbacks
People will want to point to Daniel Jones' turnover-filled rookie season as a reason to consider it a disappointment, but there were a couple of things about that.
While there is no denying that the turnovers need to be cleaned up, some of the interceptions can be placed on receivers not consistently separating on their routes.
As for the fumbles, Jones, who showed toughness in the pocket, needs to do a better job in sensing the pressure around him, as well as ensuring he protects the ball (especially if he takes off). But all of this is correctable and is no reason to sit and wring one's hands about the future of the quarterback position.
The Giants also did a good job upgrading the depth behind Jones. Colt McCoy brings experience as a starter plus an intimate knowledge of the NFC East.
Cooper Rush, acquired from the Cowboys off waivers, will help with communicating Garrett's expectations for the offense in the meeting rooms.
On the whole, the Giants quarterback group looks a lot less scary than it did at this time last year.
7. Offensive Line
There's a lot to like on the offensive line after the draft haul the Giants managed to get, starting with Andrew Thomas, who projects to be the left tackle of the future; Matthew Peart, the projected right tackle; and Shane Lemieux, who could potentially challenge at center.
The Giants also did well to upgrade the coaching at this position, adding former NFL offensive lineman Marc Columbo to the mix.
Columbo worked wonders with the Cowboys offensive line, a unit that, like the Giants, devoted a significant number of draft resources, which helped it become one of the best offensive lines in football.
While the future is very bright for this unit, it still has to come together, and that includes guards Kevin Zeitler and Will Hernandez, who last year had their share of hiccups.
Until such time when it does come together, the potential of this unit alone isn't enough to warrant a higher ranking.
8. Defensive Backs
There's a lot of young talent in this group to be excited about, but until it finds consistency, the defensive backs place toward the bottom of the Giants' position power rankings.
We can start with DeAndre Baker, whom the Giants need to play more consistency. Baker is a talented young cornerback who was a shutdown corner at Georgia.
Unfortunately for numerous reasons, among them a knee injury suffered in training camp that interrupted his development, Baker's rookie season left something to be desired.
To his credit, he started to play better in the second half of his rookie season, and there is hope that if he put the work in this off-season, he'll be that much better in Year 2.
A new defensive coordinator will hopefully ensure that Corey Ballentine, another of the very talented defensive backs on this team, is put in a better position to make plays.
Meanwhile, the addition of veteran James Bradberry gives the Giants a solid outside option who should step right in as the starter opposite Baker.
But there are questions. Can Sam Beal, on whom the Giants spent a third-round pick in the supplemental draft two years ago, finally kick the injury bug to the curb?
And who will be their slot cornerback? Will it be Grant Haley or one of the two rookie draft picks from this year, Darnay Holmes or Chris Williamson?
The safety group saves the defensive backs from sinking to the bottom (well that and a few other factors which we'll get to in a moment).
There's much to be excited about when it comes to a potential three-high safety set featuring Jabrill Peppers, Xavier McKinney, and Julian Love.
That potential three-man formation could end up helping the second level of the defense, which for years has had its struggles covering backs out of the backfield and tight ends heading up the seam.
9. Inside Linebacker
The Giants revamped this group in the off-season, parting ways with Alec Ogletree and replacing him with Blake Martinez, who had his best season when Patrick Graham was his position coach.
With that said, this unit still has some question marks, starting with Ryan Connelly, who last year looked so promising until a torn ACL cruelly ended his season.
One of the many things Connelly did so well was to diagnose plays quickly and then hustle to get himself in the right position to make the play. Will he have that same quickness he had before the injury?
And what of the rest of the unit? The Giants re-signed David Mayo for depth, a decent player who was solid against her run but had some issues in coverage.
And can rookies TJ Brunson and Tae Crowder, two of the team's four seventh-round picks, bring anything to the defense this year?
That's a lot of questions that need answers before this unit is ready for a higher ranking.
10. Edge Rushers
The Giants supposedly have players who are capable of generating a pass rush. Still, whether it was because of scheme or something else, they haven't come close to getting the production they likely expected from third-year man Lorenzo Carter and second-year man Oshane Ximines.
The good news for this group is that defensive coordinator Patrick Graham was able to get the most out of Kyler Fackrell, an edge rusher he coached in Green Bay who recorded double-digit sacks. So there would appear to be a precedent as to how the Giants might best deploy their edge rushers.
But when one looks at last year's stats and sees how the Miami Dolphins, with Graham as their defensive coordinator, finished dead last in the league in sacks with 23.0 and whose 64 quarterback hits were behind the Giants' 98, it's fair to wait to see if things will be different.
Agree? Disagree? Tell us in the comments below.
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